


Runaway

by AvengersShip



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 08:58:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18443285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvengersShip/pseuds/AvengersShip
Summary: In which Gaara escapes his cage called home and Gai takes him in as his own.





	Runaway

**Author's Note:**

> Gai adopts a red-haired Panda. Go figure
> 
> UPDATED: Added a few sentence(statement) and fixed a few errors. I'll try to go back and fix some more

It's not every day that Maito Gai finds runaway children during his free time. 'Course, the Taijutsu Specialist is not opposed to kids, oh no, he has a very strong fondness for the youth and would love to take them under his wing, just like he did with his favorite student and adoptive son, Rock Lee. But Gai has found that this particular child is... odd. Nothing wrong with that! Gai himself is on the freakish side and Lee is not far from it either. He meant the appearance does not accustom to Konoha. This child is from somewhere else. Gai doesn't approach the shivering young boy without scaring him further, not without giving the boy a reason to see Gai is there to help. Sand swirled around the boy's trembling body as Gai crouched to his level and remembered to mind his own boisterous tone as to not startle the already fearful child.

 

"It's alright," he said quietly, slowly raising his hand for the boy to see and offering it to him, "I may look scary but I'm quite loveable, with devilish good looks to boot." 

 

The boy looked on and eyed his outstretched hand. His sand hissed but he was more curious than terrified. In fact, it's impossible to fear this man with how he looks. The boy knew he shouldn't just settle with just looks alone, but this man is wearing a green 'jumpsuit', orange legwarmers, and has a bowl hair-cut looking greased by how shiny it looks in the moon light. The man appears welcoming than a means of deterring others around him. Slowly, his hand pulled away from his curled form and inches towards Gai's outstretched one. It twitched and jerked back when he thought Gai would grab him but the Jounin was still and patient as the small hand inched closer and was hovering over his, the size difference making it scary since those hands crushed bone and twisted steel. 

 

The softness of the small, dirty pale hand caught him by surprise. The boy appeared roughly Lee's age and his hands are slowly growing calloused from training as the months pass as a result. But this boy's skin is smooth and unmarred, like he's not done any training in his life. 

 

Gai gets pinned by bluish eyes, a wary curiosity blooming in them. The Jounin smiles, "Oh! Where are my manners!? Please, let us head back to get you cleaned up! You must be exhausted." He closed his fingers around the boy's small hand but gives it enough room to pull away as he stands and so does the boy, albeit wobbly and still unsure. Gai doesn't rush and leads him back in the village. 

 

 

~

 

 

Lee was making his way back to Gai-sensei's Dojo after training all through the evening until daybreak. He promised himself to do laps around Konoha today after failing to beat Neji in their 'friendly sparring' match, but the stoic boy went a little too hard in cutting off his Chakra reserves, especially when he continously beat him in the chest area. That jerk....

 

Lee could still manage throughout the day to do his daily training, but his body was at its limit, and the soreness that he welcomed with open arms and a means of how he's working his body well, which now was a foreign thing to feel since his body has gone past feeling anything as painful as getting the shit kicked out of him by enemies and Neji himself, started to turn over anew, and not a good one. He can barely keep a walking pace without feeling a burning sensation. 

 

That means he's been really working himself ragged. wonderful! But painful!

 

He enters through the gates and sees the lights are on. 

 

Gai-sensei must be home, Lee thought with surprise. Gai-sensei is usually out at this time of night doing his annual laps. What could have been be home so early? or did he leave at all?

 

That didn't sit right with Lee. Something's wrong. Is Gai-sensei alright!? He nearly tripped getting up the small steps of the house because of the screaming protest his legs and legs give as he throws open the door and scans the area before making his way through the hall. "Gai-sensei!?" He doesn't get an answer but he senses something. 

 

An imense chakra signature that causes his hair to stand on end. This is not good. 

 

He doesn't get far when his teacher appears around the corner, holding a bowl of steaming broth.

 

"Gai-sensei!" Lee shouts with relief.

 

"Shh! Keep your voice down, Lee!" Gai said sharply. The black haired boy is taken aback by this. His teacher has never been bothered by his loud exterior. Gai saw this and sighed, "We have a guest in the next room, and he's... not fond of loud noises." 

 

"A guest?"

 

"I found him while I doing my nightly rounds. Small thing, filthy too, but I convinced him to come with me." Gai smiled proudly and struck a pose while balancing the soup with one hand, "Got him all freshened up and he's almost good as new. A little skinny but that'll change once I get him into proper youthful shape!"

 

Lee nods but still looks perplexed, "Do you know who he is? Or where he came from, Sensei?"

 

Gai drops his pose and frowns, "He won't talk to me. But it's no rush. The kid must've been chased off or ran away from home." Gai won't mention how the pale boy stuck to his side the whole way and kept shooting him looks like the man was going to attack him. "But maybe he'll open up to someone his own age, like you!"

 

Lee blinked, "Me?"

 

Gai smiled, "Of course! The youth are social towards each other and have such radiant way with words! I'm sure our guest will love you as much as I do!"

 

Lee teared up, "Sensei...!"

 

They hug and cry together, all while Gai balances the broth in one hand. 

 

The young redhead pops his head out from the cracked door hearing so much commotion just outside his room. He stares at the scene before him and almost retreated back into his room, feeling he's stumbled upon an intimate moment until the elder man pulls away and turns to face him.

 

"Oh my! I'm sorry if we have disturbed you," holding out the soup to the redhead, Gai drops a hand on Lee's shoulder and pushes him a little closer to the other boy, "This is my esteemed student and adopted son, Rock Lee. He lives with me as well!" 

 

Lee smiles big and bright as he bows toward the shy panda-eyed boy, "It is a pleasure to meet you! May I have your name so that we can get to know each other and possibly be friends?"

 

Silence is what he got at first, the eyes on their newest guest having gone wide and color flooding his cheeks at the attention he's recieving since he first came here. He fingers the hem of his shirt and mumbles but Lee has to crane his head to hear. 

 

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

 

".... G-Gaara."

 

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Gaara!" They say together, causing the boy to jump. Gai hands him the broth and Gaara takes it shakily. 

 

"Please make yourself at home, Gaara. If you need anything, me and Lee will help you! Have a wonderful night!" With that, Gai-sensei leaves in a flicker. Gaara looks toward Lee and startles at the pinkish blush forming on the other's face as he stares. 

 

"Your are very beautiful." Lee blurted. The suddenness of the statement has caught them both off guard. Time seemed to stop, as those pale fingers lose their grip on the rim and drop down to hit the floor. Lightening fast, Lee is in front of Gaara to catch the bowl of broth that slipped from Gaara's hands as the shock of the compliment has him stumbling back into his room. His face is flaming red like his hair and it's creeping down his neck as he turns away, trying to compose himself.

 

Lee is rambling apology after apology until Gaara murmurs 'S'okay…," and walks in to place the bowl on the nightstand. He's up and out of the room but not before saying goodnight to Gaara and adding, "I will be the bestest friend to you, Gaara, I promise! If not, I will do one thousand laps if I do not accomplish this goal-no, two thousand laps!" He declares. Lee somersaults out of the room and dashes down the hall, face burning hot. 

 

Once outside, Lee is already doing what he's stated and running laps, and up on the roof watching his student doing his nightly laps Gai chuckles. 

 

"Ah, the youth is in bloom tonight."

**Author's Note:**

> Lookit the love in the air, woot
> 
> Kay, gotta do the other stuff now, can't sulk on my 'main' ficlets.


End file.
